Having a conversation with a fishing buddy of mine who is looking to purchase a new truck. He fishes a ton and pulls his boat various lakes mainly on weekends or during various times of the year for tournaments. I understand everyone has their own brands they like and all, and I understand that there are multiple items to look at when making a decision like this. Such as daily driving, size of your family, etc. But in terms of what is best and will be most cost effective and efficient, what do you guys think?

I am sure many of you have had both so your input would help, I would like to know as well for future information. Oh, and he is interested in either the ford f250 or the new ford f150 ecoboost. Other factors we discussed, besides towing, was fuel consumption and cost, maintenance, etc.

I have a 2014 F 150 Eco-boost 4x4, and I can tell you that I average 13.5 MPG when pulling my FX20. But, when I was coming home from Megabass at Fork I only averaged 9.5 MPG fighting a stiff headwind. That being said, the pickup pulls the trailer great and has plenty of power. Without the trailer I get 18.5 or so generally.

Good read on the Ford F150 Gas vs. Turbocharged:

http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/...comparison-test

I pull a large trailer & a big 5th wheel often. I have a dodge w Cummins diesel. NOTHING pulls EVERYTHING better than a diesel...period. My truck rolls down the highway at freeway speeds up hills and into the wind w/no strain, no downshifting... That being said if I only pulled a bass boat I would not own the diesel I have. While it gets great mileage unloaded and good mileage towing I do not believe I would ever "recoup" the extra spent on the purchase of the diesel, added costs of oil changes, general higher cost of fuel, rougher ride of 3/4-1 ton truck... If you are looking for "bang for your buck" I don't think you will ever make up the additional costs of a diesel verses a gasoline motor provided you are pulling lighter loads. A full size bass boat does not come close to the maximum tow ratings of any full size 1/2 ton trucks. My Dodge 3500 is rated for almost 15 tons towing! That being said sometimes we purchase things in "upgraded" versions simply because we want it. Do you "need" a diesel to tow a bass boat? No. But do you need a loaded out version(leather, power windows, GPS...) of your truck when a "stripped down" version will tow your boat just as good? Again, no. But we want it! :-)

Hey Jason,

My Chevy 1/2 ton (5.3L 320hp V8 - gas) doesn't like going fast with my 21i Class behind it. It's a big, heavy boat and hills and/or high speeds bring a whole lot of RPM and shifting. You can set the cruise going 70mph but it will put the accelerator on the floor to try and hold the speed up long hills. I also have a Dodge 3/4 ton (5.9L diesel) that you can set the cruise going 80mph and literally it doesn't strain going up hills. You hardly know it's back there which is a far cry from the 1/2 ton. The mileage is about 15 in the Dodge and closer to 12 on the Chevy with the boat in tow.

It boils down to why you want the truck.... If you are going to be pulling most of the time, the diesel is hard to beat.

Excellent points and that was somewhat my argument, I just didn't have any history with a diesel to be able to make it. I own an ecoboost and it pulls my boat just fine. I have driven other boat owners' boat with their diesel, and while yes it pulls easier and may get a little better fuel economy, I just don't think the overall cost is worth it when an ecoboost, or really any 1/2 ton truck will pull just fine.

I'm one of those guys that likes to be able to forget about the boat being back there, so you can put me into the pro diesel category. The constant shifting and high RPM on the gas engines just runs me nuts. For a while diesel prices were much higher than gas and that was a big negative, but it seems prices for gas and diesel have come back in line with each other, at least for now.

I have a Ram Ecodiesel and I average 25 and get 18-20 while pulling my boat. Couldn't be happier with my purchase.

Bought a 2012 6.7L King Ranch F250 with 42k miles on it about 6 months ago. Hope I don't ever have to go back to gas. That thing could pull the devil out of hell if it needed to. Once you go diesel, you don't go back.

*Just my experience, I'm sure someone has had a different one. To help the cost of the diesel engine, I bought used. Financed through RBFCU with a super low rate and kept my payments incredibly low.

I just purchased a new trucked and looked hard at the Chevy with a diesel vs gas and I went with the 6.2lt gas with 420hp and let me tell you it does not have any problem with my FX 21 on downshifting or power. It is getting 14.5 average while pulling the boat and 17.9 with out the boat. I considered the diesel very hard but the cost difference and the rough ride made me go with the big gas motor and so far so good.

I can chime in to this post as i just sold my 2014 F-150 with the 5.0 and bought a 2013 F-250 with the 6.7L. I pull a 20ft triton with a 225merc on the back.


My old truck would pull it good, but when i wanted to travel it was a bit a of a beat down as head winds or hills or would always call for a down shift into 3rd or 4th. i got about 16mpg with no boat, 10-11 with the boat. initial take off lost a little power, but even with the weight could still take off pretty good. unless the road was really flat the truck would live in 5th gear while towing at higher speeds. again, truck could pull it, but it just wasn't fun to drive 2-3 hours at 70+mph.

Took the boat out yesterday with the new truck to a lake 3 hours from me. speed limit is 75mph most of the way. off the line i saw 0 decrease in take off. truck took off the same with or without the trailer. it has so much torque i could still spin the tires even with the boat attached if i laid into the gas (yes i did test this). At highway speeds, again, no difference in the ride and no more down shifting. stayed in 6th gear almost the whole way (with the exception of passing or going up steep hills). rode way more comfortably than the f-150 did as the stiffer suspension seemed to absorb more of the bounce from the boat. mileage without the boat has been about 14-15mpg, with the boat was 10-11mpg. (could be diff for you since i have a lift kit and 35inch mud tires on my truck).

All in All, you can get away pulling your boat with the 1/2 ton, but if you step up into the 3/4 ton you will be much happier when towing longer distances.

Side note, unless you are going to be pulling significant weight, i would not go into the f-350. i was looking at the 350's at first but the ride is much more stiff, the 250 is noticeably smoother. Hope this helps!

Guess I will look at this on my next one. My '15 2500 with a 6.0L doesn't come close to this. In fact you are getting the mpg's towing that I get at 65 mph on the highway.

Gasser will do the job just fine but once you go with a diesel, you won't want to go back.

I'm one of the pro diesel guys myself, but if you're looking at it economically, it makes no sense to own a diesel. Maintenance is higher. Tires wear out faster because it's heavier. A one ton costs you more to register. Insurance is higher on a diesel engine because most crashes are front end impact causing damage to the most expensive part of the truck.

I prefer it because of the towing and for safety. Hook on to just about anything you want and never look back. As far as safety, I've seen too many head on collisions involving diesel pickups where the other party didn't fair too well, but the driver of the diesel survived to tell the story.

Do you turn the tow/haul button off when towing and leave it in normal drive mode?